Posted: February 25th, 2025

Mekong River Upstream Privileges And Downstream Threat Environmental Sciences Essay

Upstream Power, Downstream Peril: The Geopolitics of the Mekong River Basin Essay

Mekong River (Snoo (), Langcang Jiang, or Lancang) — Located in Southeast Asia, the Mekong is the seventh largest river in the world in terms of discharge, and the tenth in terms of length. This ends up its Chinese part, including origin at Tibet Plateau, Yunnan Province, China, then flowing 4200 kilometers across border and crossing through Myanmar, Laos PDR, Thailand, Cambodia and finally passing through the extensive delta in Vietnam to the South China Sea. Natural resources including fishes and other aquatic diversities live in that region and the Mekong basin are full of it. River is dissected into 2 mixed incomplete sections. An upstream with an origin which belongs to China and Myanmar is located in Tibet Plateau and a downstream which belongs to Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. According to the study, the Mekong River would be beneficial to hydropower production, the expansion of irrigated land, the threat of flooding in the delta region, natural resources and the extension of the navigability of the river up to northern Laos.

The catchment is digitally radical and is portrayed as principally untapped. It is also associated with a geographical area which is beneficial to riparian countries in the fields of politic, economic and environmental progress. In this context, the Mekong is unique among Southeast Asia’s most pressing and large scale resource and environmental management challenges. Furthermore, riparian states have a lot of reliance, as the Mekong River is rich with resources, leading to the establishment of a committee which APRMC to preserve Mekong river regime ultimately. That’s Mekong Committee in 1957. This regime of the Mekong also has certain impact on the principles, norms, rules and decision-making procedure related to the Mekong’s resource development. Inter-state conflict over the use of the Mekong River’s water resources surfaced for the first time in the early 1990s. The dispute was used as a bargaining chip in a standoff between Thailand and Vietnam over the “fair and equitable utilization” of the Mekong’s water resources.

More profoundly, it mirrored a wider anxiety about a strategic reorientation across Southeast Asia and in Thai-Vietnamese relation were only a couple decades after the peaceful end of the cold war. Meeting this purpose, the committee designed and regulated of the lower Mekong basin (Mekong Committee) to Post-1957 for using the Mekong’s resource. In 1995, a new framework which Mekong River Commission (MRC) had been renewed set on the management or the issues regarding of sovereignty, the non-interference and the condition of interdependent. Mekong River Commission — lower basin countries, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. In addition, China is the most upstream country among the Mekong basin riparian states, and a political and economic superpower in the region. In this regard, China has been seen as showing unilateral behavior toward the lower Mekong River riparian. MRC is not the only organization in the Mekong Basin; many other mechanisms have been established such as the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) in 1992, which brought China into discussion as a major partner. The 2.30 million square kilometer sub-region feeds about 250 million heads of total population.

This sub-region bounds since the following four international river basins, namely, the Greater Mekong River, Irrawady River, Yuanjiang-Honghe (Red) River, and Nujiang-Salween River. Three of the four rivers originate from Yunnan Province and flow into respective Mainland Southeast Asian Countries. The developing water transport on the three rivers of Mekong, Irrawady and Yuanjiang-Honghe has great potentials. Through joint cooperation and development, these rivers can open up, as the water passage and transport network linking China’s Yunnan Province and the five Mainland Southeast Asian countries. The following section: I will introduce you to the biggest issue in Mekong River Basin— Upstream privilege, downstream threat, and some of the solutions to tackle this issue.

Upstream Threat
In Mekong River Basin, upstream countries are defined as China, Myanmar and Lao PDR. They call it resources and development in their occupied regions in upper Mekong Basin. Indeed, many of riparian states attempt to maximize their benefits as much as they can, for instance, by developing dam, hydro power plan, energy project and passageway as Mekong river considered to be one of great resources for those purpose. Hence, the country focuses attentively on development in Mekong Region. It is obvious that between these upstream states and all those riparian countries, the strongest state in this context is China, and it is ultimately the biggest state power here in the world, or at least with the economy and more likely coming more into the future with the military state power. The industrialization also swept China’s economy from agriculture economy base, it requires many factors to improving its economy, especially electricity as a key, raw materials, transportation, trade etc. Beside that, being a powerful economy in mekong region, China is performing unilaterally relating to the development of dam. 特別是在中國的湄公河流域國家，因為中國與此區域的國家是雙邊的交往，因此中國的對外關Os(關聯識別)出現了「會戰」};<u>中國對ASEAN一共採取了兩種手段</u>。 Besides that, it plans many dam developments to channel energy consumption in Chinese industries and navigation. The first of which is non-cooperation or unilateralism, with domestic plan to develop. And more importantly, this journey comes without negotiation with other sovereign countries in Mishap region of Mekong. However, those outspoken in the downstream view it as a threat, since the development may disrupt the river’s natural flow. It may create heavy flood in rainy season and dry in dry season to lower countries like Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. Hence, the lower basin states called for accommodating China in discussions and lamented to better utilize Mekong River resources and sustainable development in the region. As early as 1970, Chinese planners proposed their project of a cascade of 7-8 dams on the mainstream of upper Mekong in Yunnan, which could generate up to 15,550 KW of capacity or 17% of the need of power demand of China’s project (Pech Sokhem&Kengo Sunada, 2008)
The second one is that China has taken ‘active engagement’ to Mekong river shareholders are also the ASEAN members. It also recognises the benefit of cooperating with Myanmar and other downstream countries, including Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. CHINA had already done a major shoals, rapids and reef survey of 331 km stretch of Mekong River starting from China-Myanmar border to Luang Prabang in November 2001 with help from Chinese Premier Zhu Rong Ji of five millon dollars. Moreover, China also funds and provides technical assistance to develop these dam or hydro power bio-planning downstream. Hence, China engages in active investment in energy in downstream countries. Chinese Premier, Wen Jia Bao, vowed during the 2nd GMS summit in 2005 that China would be keen to work together with other Mekong countries on future energy development and dam plans, before outlining a ‘Common prosperity’ agenda with respect to China’s relationship with Mekong countries. It attempts to build mutual trust, and to treat each other with sincerity in order to pacify the downstream countries’ mindset to China.
Overall even China has cooperative with the other upstrean and downstream countries, it is still China interest also in term of economy and power. Downstream, on the other hand, is mainly threatened by (i) draughting of riverbed in the dinh langcang mekong for the sake of enlivening the business navigation; (ii) huge dam schemes in Yunnan, China and erbitant dam construction; (iii) flood of Cambodia by flood pontrol measures on Vietnam -Cambodia fault; (iv) and the Gram concern of Vietnam pertaining to the flood and dry period low-flow in the Mekong Delta to the upper-development and so on.

Downstream Impact
In the previous section, I explained analyse China’s behaviour in international relation with ASEAN states especially in the Mekong River Basin. China however employs its full power to construct a great number of dam projects in order to provide electricity to factories, as well as generating water from Yunnan province to South East Asian countries. Thus, China change the instinct structure of water flow in Mekong river basin. Hydropower in Mekong basin also contributes negative impacts for lower Mekong countries like Lao PDR, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. For the lowest part of Mekong River, it is Cambodia and Vietnam that are directly affected. Whereas in this case, I want to outline general danger to downstream countries, and the role of Dams in this area as well (as effect of water management in the country) which is caused by unilaterally initiated Dam itself, given it upstream from this area. In reality, countries in the downstream states are co-existing in the nuanced web of life. Which, the Mekong River provides water resources and natural resources and brings only to about 60 million people in 5 countries, people are directly affected by eight large dams in Yunnan province, China. And more crucially, there is no environmental impact assessment for most of these dam projects of China.

The negative impacts are often visible within just a few decades, if not a few years. For example, Xiaowan, hydropower project began in December 2001 and take 11 years till 2012 finished. This dam development is at 292 meter height and so the highest dam project in the world, but have impact to Lao PDR that they reach flood in dry season. One more case in Vietnam, which that’ll cause the serious flooding in provincial Southern part. Furthermore, the massive dam construction project does not result in flooding in neighboring countries, but also they suffer from the ecosystem crises, aquatic diversities, climate changes, unbearable floods, food scarcity, overheating water, sedimentation & biodiversity, deforestation, land clearance, prolong floods and droughts.

Now let’s consider some specific effect as below:
Fish and fisheries killed off systematically: the dry season is flooded, and this will damage the fish-feeding severely.
80% of rice production in lower Mekong basin depends on water, silt, nutrient provided by seasonal flooding of Mekong. In dry season it will erode and reduce sediment and it will change the agricultural yield in the long term.
IV. Cambodia Challenge: Water Management in Cambodia

Then I will explain more about Cambodia case after getting familiar with upstream to downstream problem. Cambodia also lies in the downstream countries of the Mekong River Basin among riparian states. This situation may offer opportunities for Cambodia, or present challenges to water governance in Cambodia. Agriculture which is the backbone of 85% of Cambodian economy depends on Mekong River flowing in from upper stream countries. However, when it comes to the benefits of Cambodia, the potential situation in which Cambodia is likely to absorb many resources, such as fish and aquatic biodiversities that also moves from the upper stream due to the change of water management in those countries. Before explaining the water system and challenges Cambodia faces, I will give a brief description of Cambodia’s background.

An overview: Cambodia is located in South East Asia with latitude setting between 10o and 15o in the North and Longitude between 102o and 108o in the East. It spans approximately 181,035 km2 in area and has total population estimated at about 14 million people spread across 24 province and 4 cities. Since the city of Phnom Penh is the economic, politic, cultural city of Cambodia, so most of the people gather in there. 71% of total population are farmers, 21% people are working in service sector and only 8% of the population works for industrial sector. The majority of the population is engaged in agricultural activities, which require a significant and systematic supply of water in order to function effectively. The Water* So, the question is where Cambodia can seek availability of water for supplying its agriculture activity. Cambodia has access to water from two sources: the Mekong River and the Great Lake (Tonle Sap), which is centrally located within the country.

Particularly during the wet season, the water will overflow the embankment and in addition, the water from Mekong River Delta and Tonle Sap will all flow to Great Lake; consequently, it will cause the inundation. Herb will useful to monitor the tilt in soil, whenever there is a flood it brings the tilt and nutrition to the soil which was flood, thus its useful for agricultural and cultivation. Moreover, since Cambodia relies heavily on related water supply from Mekong River; the shifting of water flow in Mekong River Basin will, therefore, harm the agricultural and cultivational territory in Lower Mekong River notably in Cambodia as 85% of flow of river is located in Cambodia. In addition, there are many causes that can contaminate the water supply in Cambodia.

To begin with, 14 hydropower plans can produce the capacity of (MW)222,600 in the upper stream countries such as China, Myanmar and Lao PDR. Among several downstream countries, are benefited from Mekong river which is the great source of fish resources in the world; it help the agro-rural development especially in Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam with fish farming concept. Furthermore, given the declining fishes, most will rely on fisheries and thus their income will also decrease. Additionally, downstream states recently agreed to construct 11 dam projects (2 in Lao PDR, 2 for Thailand, and 2 for Cambodia) in 2006. The planning the dam projects of hydropower provides generation for the electricity consumption, it highly impact the livelihoods upstream and downstream in Mekong river. That can lower the amount of fish provide particular in Cambodia. In conclusion, the dam projects in both upper and lower stream in Mekong River Basin the suffer will probable be the livelihood and species.

V. SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM: SUGGESTION TO THE USE OF GMS
While in the preceding section I discussed some issues that faced downstream of Mekong Basin particularly Cambodia, which is where a significant stake lies in the Mekong River Basin functions, in this part, I again will introduce several solving methods being proposed by both the Mekong River basin countries and the outside superpowers in calling for water protection as the world will confront the water security in the future if there are no mechanisms to manage this. Because of this, to achieve sustainable consumption of Mekong River so every state must have responsible to work together with all the members in Greater Mekong River. The Mekong River will be eventually damaged without feasible measures or mechanism to manage its high usage, and it can endanger neighboring states, particularly downstream countries including Lao PDR, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam, with floods during rain seasons and severe drought during dry seasons (people leave low-lying regions in the Mekong Basin).

As a result, there are multiple solutions to the problem, from the pooling of Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) to the newly created Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI).
The Greater Mekong Sub-region concept was initiated in 1992 by the Asian development bank (ADB) as a move towards encompassing participation of all Mekong River member states (China, Myanmar, Lao PDR, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam). That regional cooperation is partitioned to release the express idea platform, negotiation platform, and to share information platforms that developed on Mekong River riparian states to build relationship. It promotes the inter-boundary negotiation because all of the members have to agree on the idea when they would like to develop the plant on Mekong Basin. Otherwise, water from every state will impact the fisheries stock availability in Mekong River. In this case, collaboration is very beneficial and indispensable, the state will be able to obtain information and take emergency measures to prevent the crisis. This is why GMS is considered essential to be strengthened further. In addition, the GMS also incorporated the member states including China which is the most upper stream of the basin where China previously operates unilaterally the dam projects and power plants in upper stream that may lead to significant adverse effect to the lower stream of water use and fisheries stock. Similarly, the functioning mechanisms is being apply to address the issue related to Mekong river. In short, the sharing of information in regional cooperation will facilitate the effective use of water and resources in the Mekong River.

After regional cooperation construction, Greater Mekong Sub-region, the low basin states also strive to build monitoring relationship to use the river effectively and support to each other in necessary skills and abilities. The Mekong River Commission (MRC) was launched in 1995 by states including Lao PDR, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam for regional economic cooperation. Every member in MRC speaks to each other to work better for Mekong River. Furthermore, they also held the meeting annually to exchange knowledge and insights related to power plant projects as well as other dam construction circle that might impact water flowing into lower delta of the river. DFG members meeting annually for strengthen more relationship and study on dam project from upper level to lower level of Mekong River as well. It is powerful cooperation that formed on 1995 between basin state under name of MRC that seen as an effective commission for sharing idea in term of water use in the basin.

In fact, on Water’s Day in 2009, the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appealed for establishing the Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI). This creation, however, is aimed at pushing for closer interdependencies between member states. In the Mekong River, it mainly has to share water and resources there had been much regional cooperation in order to make better use and sustainable development. Because sooner or later, if there is no maintenance or cooperative work, we will meet the crisis.

In summary, upstream countries, because of their geography, result in countless impacts on downstream states in economically, politically, and environmentally. So, downstream ones demand regional integration for riparian states through Mekong River. In fact, Mekong River Committee taking an important role in coordination and cooperation in the Mekong River Basin. A lot of referendums and agreements have been granted to ensure the use of resources and benefits. And Greater Mekong River Hug China to negotiation and cooperation. Then, we will look into the importance of GMS in solving the inner conflict in Mekong River.

Order | Check Discount

Tags: #1 Dissertation Writing, Best assignment help, Cheap Essay Writing, Dissertation Writing and Write My Essay Solutions